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| SATAN'S LATEST AND MOST LETHAL ATTACK by FELIX SNIPES Most people are aware that as the pulpits go, so go our churches, cities and ultimately the nation. The pulpit is the heart and conscious of our nation! (By the way, when I say "the pulpit" I am not referring to the physical desk or platform at the front of the church auditorium. I am referring to the ministers of the country and the message they preach.) One of the main reasons we are having an epidemic of AIDS and other forms of sexually transmitted diseases is because most pulpits stopped preaching against sin. Without that consistent admonition from the pulpit, it became the poplar and excepted thing for anyone to have sex outside of marriage. The "silent pulpit" was heard loudly by both Christians and non-Christians! There was a time when even fear of an illegitimate pregnancy and the social ridicule it would bring, kept many (whether they were Christians or not) from promiscuous sex. The silent pulpit was reinforced by "the pill," the movies, TV, magazines, Hugh Hefner, newspapers, the popularity of celebrities having babies out of wedlock ... all these things constantly gave an unofficial OK to this lifestyle. Therefore many Christians ... even ministers and ministers' wives, fell victim to the temptations of the flesh. It all began with the lack of scriptural emphasis from the pulpit on holy living. Thankfully there seems to be a renewed understanding on the part of many ministers and Christians that one can NOT compromise with sin! With an understanding of just how important is the strength of our pulpits, there is a new attack on them by Satan and his people. I first encountered information about this several months ago when I was in a Crusade in Indianapolis. The Pastor told me about a neighboring Baptist Church that was being blessed with great harmony among the people and a great outreach to the lost. All of a sudden the people within the church were fussing with each other and their outreach came to a screeching halt. As the Pastor investigated the cause he discovered that it had all originated with a woman who had recently joined that church. When he confronted her with the divisiveness she was bringing to a once happy church family, she simply laughed. She openly admitted that she was a Satanist and had specifically targeted that church to destroy it. She gleefully asked the Pastor, "I did a pretty good job, didn't I?" A few months ago I preached an evangelistic crusade with Pastor Ed Jansson, First Baptist Church of Kennett, MO. He told me about his previous church in Oklahoma where a witch had targeted him and his church. A beautiful young married woman named, T. J., called their prayer hotline asking for help. Ed attempted to help over the phone for several weeks (she would not give her address or phone number at first.) Eventually she scheduled an office appointment with the Pastor. He wisely did not receive her "privately" but kept his office door open with his Minister of Music "eavesdropping" in the next room. She claimed to have a drug problem and openly admitted that she had been involved with the occult. Ed wisely got his wife, Judy, involved with counseling T. J. This seemingly troubled lady would come to their home while on drugs, even throwing up on their couch and carpet. Ed and Judy continued to love her. She eventually pretended to make a profession of faith in Christ and was baptized into the church. Then she began to make sexual advances toward Ed. He immediately cut off her access to him and his family. After she moved back to Florida, she called Ed and told him that the whole thing had been a sham. T. J.'s husband was in the military, often moving from town to town, but was not aware of the occult activity of T. J. Her brother, who was head of a witches' coven in Florida, had assigned her the job of attacking particular churches and Pastors in every city to which she moved. She said that Ed and his church were her assigned target in this town. She admitted that even the "profession of faith in Christ" was a sham to try to entrap him. Praise the Lord (!) she was not successful with Ed Jansson because of his commitment to Christ and to his wife, Judy! However Ed said at that point things began to fall apart at the church. Trouble among staff members, church leadership and membership. A church that before then was running over 600 is now running about 200. Ed has no idea just how successful she may have been with other staff members, Deacons or other leadership. He DOES know that this was when the church began to disintegrate. She was not in a hurry. She took her time to destroy the church inch by inch and would have destroyed Ed also had it not been for his dedication to Jesus. Other Christians in that congregation may have yielded to her temptations and possibly some Christians may have been used of Satan to help tear down a once great church by repeating gossip or passing on critical remarks about staff and others in the church. She was successful with the church even though she was not effective on Ed. (We could all wish that Christians were this persistent and consistent about winning their lost neighbors to Christ as T. J. was in trying to destroy God's church and people!) A well-known minister told me that a friend of his was seated on an airplane next to a man who had a list of prominent pastors in his hand. This well-known minister's name was second on the list. Thinking that this might be a Brother in the Lord seated next to him the friend asked about this list. The man openly bragged that he was a Satanist and that all across the world that day, Satanists were fasting and praying to Satan for the these ministers to fall into sexual temptation and for their families to fall apart. You see, if Satan cannot get to the pastor he will then try to get to his family. All of us have seen that happen. A very Godly pastor with whom I worked in Florida would not let Satan get to him but Satan DID get to his wife through the internet ... she left him for a sexual liaison with a man she met in a chat-room. It effectively destroyed the ministry of this Godly minister. BELOVED CHRISTIAN FRIEND, FROM WHOM DO YOU THINK THE TEMPTATION TO SIN COMES ? We are so egotistical, we think that if a person of the opposite sex makes a sexual advance toward us, then surely it must be because of our wonderful personality or appearance ... or because they really love us more than our mate does! Groucho Marx, the late comedian said, "I would not want to join a club that would have me as a member." Frankly I do not see how any intelligent man would want any woman who would commit adultery with him. If she would do it with you, she would do it with others also. The same could be said about the integrity of a man who is willing to break his wedding vows. Ministers often are deceived because that advance may come from someone that has the reputation of being "a fine Christian woman" or from someone who also works in the church and has "so much more in common" with them than does their wife. ARE WE ALL SO NAIVE AS TO NOT RECOGNIZE THAT THIS TEMPTATION ALWAYS COMES FROM SATAN BECAUSE HE WANTS TO DESTROY OUR FELLOWSHIP WITH THE LORD, OUR MINISTRY AND THE TESTIMONY OF CHRIST THROUGH OUR LIVES !!! There is definitely a DETERMINED SATANIC ATTACK ON ALL CHRISTIANS AND ESPECIALLY CHRISTIAN LEADERS! We MUST keep our guard up and we MUST PRAY for a wall of protection about us and our families. Don't forget to especially pray for our families because of Satan's "second wave of attack" against wives and children. THE LAYMEN in our congregations need to recognize the way Satan is targeting their Pastor and his family. Spiritually mature Christians MUST earnestly pray for Supernatural protection for their Church leadership. AND they should take measures to help protect their Pastor and his family in every way possible. They should spend time praying with their Pastor, encouraging him, providing adequate well trained staff help and being sure that generous time-off for the Pastor is provided so he can spend needy time with his own family! By the way, Pastors are not the only ones under attack by our adversary. One VERY IMPORTANT thing we need to understand is that ANY one who is not saved is (according to the Bible) a child of Satan, no matter how good his personality, life or church activity my be. "Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts (desires) of your father ye will do." (John 8:44) Whether these unsaved people know it or not, they WILL do the work that Satan wants them to. Unfortunately, even Christians who are not obedient to Christ, can also be influenced to do Satan's work. "He that is not with me IS against me!" (Matthew 12:30) Satan even used one of Jesus' 12 Disciples, Judas (who was with Christ from the beginning of His earthly ministry) to carry out Satan's plan. Don't let Satan use YOU! First, be sure you are saved! Second, be sure your life is daily dedicated to Christ and that you are letting His Holy Spirit fill and empower you! " Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour; Whom resist steadfast in the faith..." (I Peter 5:8-9 ... preceded by verse 7 where He says) "Casting ALL your care upon Him; for He careth for you!" Praise the Lord !!! Copyright 2002, Felix Snipes Felix Snipes has been a Southern Baptist pastor and evangelist for over 30 years. For the last 20 years, he has preached evangelistic crusades in over 900 Baptist churches resulting in over 160,000 public commitments for Christ. He is an active member of First Baptist Church, Atlanta, GA |
